I did the first oil change on the Ninja 1000.
At 246 miles I put Motul 10-40 non-synthetic with a K&N oil filter.
The original oil filter was a bear to remove, due to not having a small enough oil filter wrench. The K&N filter has a handy hex-head on it and I torqued it to 15 ft lbs and the oil drain plug to 25 ft lbs.

Also, even though I filled the oil filter with some oil before installing it, my oil warning light would not go off. So, I loosened the oil filter till a little oil dribbled out, and tightened it. The oil warning light turned off. Good thing I read about the air lock at the oil filter on the web, or I would have been very perplexed about the oil light staying on!
Cheers!

I am up over 1300 miles now and still couldn't be happier, well except for maybe a different seat. I'm not sure if it's the seat or if I'm just a wuss. I rode 180 miles straight last Friday, roughly 60 miles Saturday, and another 150 on Sunday. The last 30-50 miles on Sunday were pretty uncomfortable for me. My ass was just really sore and my legs were starting to get cramped up. It was definitely light years ahead of the DR that I did the same thing on last year, but I'd really like to be able to do ~500 miles in a weekend and not be all that sore. It probably doesn't help that I really only ride that much once a year currently so I don't exactly have a "tolerance" built up.

I did achieve a 39mpg/tank and a 41mpg/tank on the trip. The others were the normal 36-38mpg/tank. I also installed a Powerlet socket this week and am a huge fan. Now I'm just looking for a RAM mount that will fit. Oh, I also completed my first camping trip with the bike and even without any luggage I was really pleasantly surprised at how much I could strap on to the back seat. I had a bag with clothes and gear, a tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad and it was all safe, secure, and an overall success. I can't wait to do more!

TomZ congratulations on your first long road ride! I am itching to do the same with mine. Nice to hear you could carry all you needed on the seat. I am debating various luggage options for the Ninja 1000, I may get the Ventura rack system, because I use Ventura on my Buell and can share the tail packs I already own. Or, I may get a Wolfman Beta Bag, because I could also use it on my KLR too. I am trying to avoid having buying luggage that I can only use on one bike.
And yes, I am fairly certain the stock Ninja seat will only be good for about 150 miles before butt-burn sets in.
My first upgrade will be a Sargent Seat, oh and new grips. The stock grips are fairly hard.
Plus I will be getting engine guards and axle sliders too.
Cheers!

TomZ congratulations on your first long road ride! I am itching to do the same with mine. Nice to hear you could carry all you needed on the seat. I am debating various luggage options for the Ninja 1000, I may get the Ventura rack system, because I use Ventura on my Buell and can share the tail packs I already own. Or, I may get a Wolfman Beta Bag, because I could also use it on my KLR too. I am trying to avoid having buying luggage that I can only use on one bike.
And yes, I am fairly certain the stock Ninja seat will only be good for about 150 miles before butt-burn sets in.
My first upgrade will be a Sargent Seat, oh and new grips. The stock grips are fairly hard.
Plus I will be getting engine guards and axle sliders too.
Cheers!

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More than butt burn, I am getting thigh burn. The sharp angle cuts at the sides of the seat really don't help.

And wtf is up with the butt tingle at highway speeds?? Hope it might smooth out after my first oil change.

Just a thought regarding the seat; has anyone considered using the seat off the Z1000? I know the Z1000 has a little less padding, but the shape is also slightly different - sometimes it's more about the position rather than the amount of padding. The Z1000 seat seems to be flatter toward the rear and therefor could prove to be more comfortable.

Oh, I also completed my first camping trip with the bike and even without any luggage I was really pleasantly surprised at how much I could strap on to the back seat. I had a bag with clothes and gear, a tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad and it was all safe, secure, and an overall success. I can't wait to do more!

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Any pictures of the bike loaded down? I'd love to see it.

I demo rode this bike at the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days at mid Ohio. Fantastic bike! I'd love to get one.

I'm sure a late model Z1000 seat will fit but I can't imagine it being better. It has even less padding and I don't think the slightly different shape will make up for it.

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The point I was making is a I think it's more about weight distribution than padding. While not the same, I found the Z1000 to be slightly more comfortable from briefly sitting on it when compared to the Ninja. Seats are a crap shoot that often require trial-and-error experiences that can leave a significant dent in your wallet. I'm thinking the Z1000 seat might be a relatively affordable experiment.

We're getting ready to pick up a N1K in the next few weeks - just need to sell a few more things.

Hard to decide on the colour - kinda wish the green was available here...

The point I was making is a I think it's more about weight distribution than padding. While not the same, I found the Z1000 to be slightly more comfortable from briefly sitting on it when compared to the Ninja. Seats are a crap shoot that often require trial-and-error experiences that can leave a significant dent in your wallet. I'm thinking the Z1000 seat might be a relatively affordable experiment.

We're getting ready to pick up a N1K in the next few weeks - just need to sell a few more things.

Hard to decide on the colour - kinda wish the green was available here...

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I agree, compared to the N1K, I prefer the sitting position of Z1K. If it were not for 4 gallon tank, I would have bought the Z1K hands down. However, its not too expensive to convert the N1K to a Z1K sitting position.

The point I was making is a I think it's more about weight distribution than padding. While not the same, I found the Z1000 to be slightly more comfortable from briefly sitting on it when compared to the Ninja. Seats are a crap shoot that often require trial-and-error experiences that can leave a significant dent in your wallet. I'm thinking the Z1000 seat might be a relatively affordable experiment.

We're getting ready to pick up a N1K in the next few weeks - just need to sell a few more things.

Hard to decide on the colour - kinda wish the green was available here...

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I get your point. I have some issues with one leg so I sat on both bikes a lot before I bought my Ninja and even went as far as making some measurements to try to understand why they feel different.

The bars are lower on the Z and have no pullback.
The seat/peg relationship is about the same but the Z pegs are easier to move around on thanks to no rubber tops.
The Z sits lower.
The Ninja is about an inch wider across the pegs thanks to the rubber sub mounts.

My problem with Ninja seat is that it's way too narrow in front. What weight isn't supported by your legs is carried on a very small seating area without a lot of padding. Scooting back helps some but not enough. The contour of the front of the seat to make it narrow for short legged riders to get to the ground easier is just a killer for me. It's bad enough the inside of my left leg has developed almost a callous from moving along the edge of the seat.

Ok, so after 700 miles, I am searching for a reason NOT to buy one. Ummmmmm.... ok, the seat is not up to the rest of the bike's long distance capabilities. Also, there ain't no freakin helmet lock! Oh yea, no center stand makes lubing the chain a chore (but I am going to fix that by installing a Scott Oiler and say good bye to chain maintenance).

I am getting more impressed with how the bike handles all riding situations, its very tame and easy to ride in the City, it will devour mountains, it gives tons of road feedback and stellar handling, the adjustable windshield is more than a marketing gimmick too!

I also found out that dudes who ride really awesome antique American bikes, like the Ninja 1000 too!

Ok, so after 700 miles, I am searching for a reason NOT to buy one. Ummmmmm.... ok, the seat is not up to the rest of the bike's long distance capabilities. Also, there ain't no freakin helmet lock! Oh yea, no center stand makes lubing the chain a chore (but I am going to fix that by installing a Scott Oiler and say good bye to chain maintenance).

I am getting more impressed with how the bike handles all riding situations, its very tame and easy to ride in the City, it will devour mountains, it gives tons of road feedback and stellar handling, the adjustable windshield is more than a marketing gimmick too!

I also found out that dudes who ride really awesome antique American bikes, like the Ninja 1000 too!

Searching for a reason NOT to buy one. Come on people, something's got to be bad about these things?

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Well, it lacks a gear indicator...
I'm only half-joking here - Suzuki can find a way to include one even on their budget offerings like Gladius or GSX650F, I don't know why other manufacturers find it so difficult.